Medieval Mercenaries: The Business of War

Medieval Mercenaries The Business of War The Middle Ages were a turbulent and violent time when the fate of nations was most often decided on the battlefield and strength of arms was key to acquiring and maintaining power Feudal oaths and

Condottiere Infamous medieval mercenaries Condottiere Infamous medieval mercenaries Warrior David Murphy, Graham Turner on FREE shipping on qualifying offers Originally hired by wealthy Italian city states to protect their assets during a time of ceaseless warring Swashbuckling Mercenaries Who Ravaged Medieval Europe Jun , The late medieval period was a chaotic time in history England and France were engaged in the Hundred Years War, and Italian city states were fighting one another for supremacy in the peninsula In the absence of permanent standing armies, combatants relied on Medieval Archers The role the Medieval Archers could play in battle was quickly understood, and as early as the years following the Norman Conquest, the practice of archery was much encouraged and the Medieval Archers were granted special privileges. Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or Medieval period lasted from the th to the th century.It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and merged into the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery.The Middle Ages is the middle period of the three traditional divisions of Western history classical antiquity, the medieval period, and the modern period. Free company A free company sometimes called a great company or grande companie was an army of mercenaries between the th and th centuries recruited by private employers during wars They acted independently of any government, and were thus free They regularly made a living by plunder when they were not employed in France they were the routiers and corcheurs who operated outside the highly Medieval Warfare Medieval arms Preparations for Medieval Battles For larger battles, planning typically consisted of a council of the war leaders, which could either be the commander laying down a plan or a debate between the different leaders, depending on how much authority the commander possessed. Medieval at TMP The Miniatures Page Some gamers lump medieval gaming into the same category as Ancients, but we prefer to keep the categories split in order to highlight what is special about this category. Medieval gaming also overlaps with Fantasy, since what do you get when you remove the magic and monsters from a typical fantasy ruleset A medieval ruleset The two types of medieval gaming are Life in a Medieval Castle An indispensible feature of the castle of a great lord was the chapel where the lord and his family heard morning mass.In rectangular hall keeps this was often in the forebuilding, sometimes at basement level, sometimes on the second floor By the th century, the chapel was usually close to the hall, convenient to the high table and bed chamber, forming an L with the main building or Medieval Weapons Arming Swords The arming sword also sometimes called a knight s or knightly sword is the single handed cruciform sword of the High Middle Ages, in common use between ca and , remaining in rare use into the th century. Medieval Stasis TV Tropes Medieval Stasis is a situation in which, as far as the technological, cultural, and sociopolitical level are concerned, thousands of years pass as if they were minutes.

Title: Medieval Mercenaries: The Business of War

Author: William L. Urban Terry Jones

ISBN: 9781853676970

Page: 212

Format: Hardcover

The Middle Ages were a turbulent and violent time, when the fate of nations was most often decided on the battlefield, and strength of arms was key to acquiring and maintaining power Feudal oaths and local militias were often than not incapable of providing the skilled and disciplined warriors necessary to keep the enemy at bay It was the mercenary who stepped in toThe Middle Ages were a turbulent and violent time, when the fate of nations was most often decided on the battlefield, and strength of arms was key to acquiring and maintaining power Feudal oaths and local militias were often than not incapable of providing the skilled and disciplined warriors necessary to keep the enemy at bay It was the mercenary who stepped in to fill the ranks In this benchmark work, William Urban explores the vital importance of the mercenary to the medieval power broker, from the Byzantine Varangian Guard to fifteenth century soldiers of fortune in the Baltic Through contemporary chronicles and the most up to date scholarship, he presents an in depth portrait of the mercenary across the Middle Ages A mercenary was a professional soldier who took employment with minimum concern for the morals, ethics or cause of the paymaster But within these confines we discover a surprising array of fighting men, from the lowest born foot soldier to the wealthiest aristocrat the occasional clergyman, even What united them all was a willingness, and often the desire, to fight for their supper Shocking, informative and hugely entertaining, Medieval Mercenaries is a compelling account of the business of war in the age of chivalry.

This book discusses use of mercenary forces through the medieval era,starting from the Varangian guard til the Battle of Pskov in 1501, as well as some perspectives from later literature. The result leans more to "popular" than academic history - as some old debunked assumptions about medieval history are catered to, and there are some factual errors (eg Charles VI wasn't at Agincourt and the French army was mainly dismounted). While easy to read, you should look elsewhere if you want a deep und [...]

Everyone knows medieval wars were fought by chivalrous knights willing to sacrifice all for lord and land . . . right? In Medieval Mercenaries: The Business of War, historian William Urban reveals the importance of this overlooked group of for-hire warriors in almost every major conflict of the Middle Ages.Urban's witty, conversational style draws readers in to his exploration of the professional soldier. His refreshing insights leave them with a real understanding of how mercenaries shaped medi [...]

This was an interesting study of a period of history that history students think they know, but really don't. Much of what is in popular literature and culture about mercenaries comes from just a tiny part of the whole picture, and this book helps to put that into proper perspective.Mercenary warfare during the Hundred Years War isn't as patriotic and heroic as people would like to think that period was, but it was a necessary and practical aspect of military matters, in the time before the more [...]